1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium storing a control program therefor, which control electric energy consumption in an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to reduce electric energy consumption in electronic apparatuses, such as a printer, a multifunctional peripheral device, etc., it is required for enabling a user to recognize the electric energy consumption of an electronic apparatus (what is called “visualization”). In order to urge a user to act to reduce electric energy consumption, it is necessary to monitor and to control the electric energy consumption accurately for each process (a print, a copy, etc. for example) executed by each user and to enable the “visualization”.
There is a known technique that image forming apparatuses, which can measure electric energy consumption, transmit data about electric energy consumption measured in response to requests by a control apparatus in a system where the image forming apparatus and the control apparatus are connected via a network (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-335026 (JP 2003-335026A)).
However, since the electric energy consumption measurement method disclosed in JP 2003-335026A does not assume an exceptional process, measurement of the electric energy consumption of the apparatus may be mistaken and lower control accuracy for electric energy consumption when a job is interrupted during execution of the job, for example.
Thus, the conventional technique has a problem that electric energy consumption of an electronic apparatus device cannot be controlled with sufficient accuracy.